Just This Once
by MzShellSan
Summary: A sudden snow storm forces Lavi and Allen to stay the night in a small town. With the weather frigid and only a single bed available - it makes perfect sense to use each other's warmth. Right? Day 7 of my FicMas event, dedicated to Kitty-Bandit


**25 Days of FicMas**

**Day:** Seven

**Dedication: **Kitty-Bandit

**Fandom: ** -Man

**Pairing: **Laven

**Disclaimer: **I do not own -Man

**Just This Once**

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Lavi shivered a little as he and Allen made their way towards the small town up ahead. Why anyone thought that sending them on a mission to the outer regions of England in the middle of winter was a good idea, he would never understand but he was annoyed by how Allen didn't seem the least bothered by it.

Allen was only wearing the standard exorcist uniform, the same as Lavi was, except he'd thrown a winter jacket on over the top and he was still freezing. Meanwhile Allen? The only sign that he was cold at all was the slight pink that flushed his cheeks.

"I can feel you staring Lavi."

He pouted at the comment. "Are you seriously not cold at all?" he asked finally.

Humming, Allen looked at his suspiciously – like he could be plotting something based on such an innocent question. "Not particularly. Being a parasitic type seems to cause me to run at a higher temperature than normal and I've been in much colder weather than this with less clothes," he admitted.

Not for the first time, Lavi winced at the mental image of what Allen's life before the order might have been like.

"Excuse me?"

Startled from his thoughts, Lavi turned to smile at the sudden voice of an elderly lady. They had just been passing by her cottage, just outside of the village and he hadn't expected anyone to be out and about if they could help it.

"Yes ma'am? Is there something I can help you with?" Allen offered immediately, polite smile plastered on his face.

Lavi could have scoffed at how fake he could tell it was; naturally the older lady was completely charmed by it in an instant.

"Oh no love, nothing of the sort. I just wanted to let you know that you'd be best off getting into town quickly and finding a room for the night. There's a storm heading this way and you'd be better off not getting caught up in it," she warned.

Allen's smile didn't waiver. "Of course. Thanks so much for the warning. We'll be sure to do just that," he promised.

"See that you do."

Waving goodbye, Allen noticeably picked up the pace a little bit. "I suppose we had better get a move on then," he sighed.

Lavi groaned. "We were supposed to make it to the next town over by tonight," he sighed. "Bookman's not going to be happy with how delayed this makes out mission."

Shrugging, a teasing smile tugged at the exorcists lips. "You could always go on ahead if you want. I for one am just fine spending the night in this town and taking a break."

Lavi sighed. "It'll be warm at least," he agreed after a moment.

The rest of their short walk was filled with the mindless observations that Lavi made along the way until they finally reached the only inn they could see in the small town.

It was much fuller than Lavi expected but he welcomed the extra body heat that it provided the room, rubbing his glove covered hands together to keep them warm.

"Good afternoon sirs. After a room?"

"Yes please," Allen agreed, smiling politely.

"I'm afraid that with this sudden storm, a lot of travellers have filled the rooms. I only have a room with just the one double bed left. Will that be okay?"

The lady's eyebrows were creased and Lavi could see the worry building.

Allen smiled kindly. "That would be fine."

Realxing, the lady smiled at them. "Wonderful."

Tuning out the rest of the interaction, Lavi glanced around the inn, noting happily that they seemed to have a bar as well which meant they wouldn't have to leave to get food. It seemed pretty busy and the staff looked overwhelmed which concerned him.

Hopefully they would have enough stock in order to feed himself and to offer Allen enough that he doesn't starve overnight.

"Earth to Lavi. Come on," Allen called out, finally catching the young bookman's attention.

"Right. Coming."

Rolling his eyes, Allen grabbed Lavi's hand and dragged him up the nearby flight of stairs and down the hall. They were the last room on the floor and as they reached it Allen dropped his hand to open the door.

Almost immediately Lavi missed the feeling of Allen's lithe hand in his own before he pushed it away. He was a bookman, they had no time for those kinds of feelings.

It was awkwardly silent as they came face to face with just the one bed before Allen finally sighed.

"I can take the floor if sharing is going to make you uncomfortable," he offered.

"No." The refusal was out of Lavi's mouth before he even understood what he was doing. Flushing at the quirked eyebrow, he huffed. "I just mean that it's probably best if we both shared since the added body heat will probably do us some good."

Allen's eyes twinkled in amusement but he nodded. "Makes sense. In that case, I suggest we head back down stairs now and get something to eat while they still have food available and then wait out the storm together," he suggested.

Nodding, Lavi grinned. "Good plan."

It was many hours later before either man began to tire. They'd eaten and then played some cards to pass the time until it became clear that they were stalling the inevitable.

Allen didn't seem bothered at all by the idea of sharing the bed, changing into his night clothes and then slipping into the bed without hesitation.

Now if only Lavi could do the same.

Swallowing against the dryness his throat, he chuckled a little at how Allen's hair seemed to stick up everywhere after rolling around.

"Are you getting into bed?" Allen asked, tone teasing.

"I was just waiting for you to warm it up slightly," Lavi joked.

Rolling his eyes, Allen made a show of shifting over to where the bed was lacking heat, leaving his previous space open to Lavi.

"Hurry up then, before my hard work goes to waste."

Snorting, Lavi pushed back the voice in his head that was telling him that this was a mistake that he would never be able to return from and instead slipped in.

Almost immediately, he wanted to sigh at the heavenly heat. Allen hadn't been kidding when he'd mentioned that he runs at a higher temperature.

"You're like a furnace," he sighed, relaxing completely.

Allen chuckled. "All the better for you, right?"

Lavi made a contented noise of agreement. "Definitely."

It wasn't until a couple hours later that Lavi awoke once more, unsure of when he'd fallen asleep and he shivered a little. Wind rattled against the windows and he was positive that the storm had hit given the blizzard of swirling white that he could make out in the darkness.

"Lavi?" Allen grumbled. It shouldn't surprise him that Allen was a light sleeper but even this was a little extreme.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little cold."

Making a noise of understanding, Allen was silent for a moment before Lavi felt the bed shift. A moment later he felt the younger's warmth curl around him, Allen acting at the big spoon as he allowed himself to be cuddled warm.

"Is this okay?"

The breathed words were warm on his ear and yet they made him shiver. He wanted to scream no. His heart was beating faster than it should and it squeezed at the thought of how they must look right now.

He wanted this. Not just now, but forever. He wanted Allen.

But he wasn't _allowed_ Allen. He was a bookman, they had no need for feelings and emotions. They would only hold him back and tie him down.

Except – he couldn't erase his feelings and bookman wasn't here to scold him.

"Lavi?"

"Yeah, this is okay."

And with the swirling white separating them from the rest of the world he could almost convince himself that it wasn't a lie.


End file.
